Fender Rumble Club

[GonePlaid]

So many helpful people, so many great responses - it would feel excessive to try to answer to all of them.
Instead, thanks all of you!
@G-Dog there’s no doubt that I will share my experiences here - I can’t believe it took me so long to get hooked with TB... I’ve read posts in the past now and then, but I only created an account in order to buy a bass here
I will read the comparison that you posted in the wiki - but I think the advice from several others that there really is value in allowing myself to get better and to understand better what I need is very valuable.
As for G.A.S. - I’m a scuba diver and avid underwater photographer - if anyone cares, I have some pictures up on the web - if you think bass gear is expensive, I invite you to talk to me and some of my photographer friends. I know quite a few people who jump into the water with $20k+ strapped to their chest... Or maybe you want to talk to my daughter about the cost about her 5/4 Bb concert tuba... yeah, my financial advisor is used to bad news
The whole point of asking here is not to give any of you permission to make me buy things, or to get you to convince me to spend money, but to hear from people who know more (let‘s face it, a LOT more) than I do about all of this. And to let that help me make my own decisions.
@ShawnG I doubt I‘ll spend more than $100k on gear. At least not this year.

Do you know anyone looking for a Selmer Paris Mk VI baritone sax? Needs a tune-up, still worth around $15k.

 

[dirkhh]

Do you know anyone looking for a Selmer Paris Mk VI baritone sax? Needs a tune-up, still worth around $15k.

Compared to a Thein BBb tuba that seems like a steal. But then, I only know two people who got themselves a Thein...

 

[GonePlaid]

Compared to a Thein BBb tuba that seems like a steal. But then, I only know two people who got themselves a Thein...

I googled them.

 

[a-37]

And how exactly do you define "that I need", @JakobT ?

I started thinking of a reply to your original(ish) post about whether to get something better than the Rumble 15 now or not but Jakob already said it here:

The most important thing in order to reach that level, whatever it is, is to want to pick up your bass and practice as much as possible. For that you need gear that doesn’t hold you back, so by all means get what makes you happy.

I am not a pro player or anywhere close, not young anymore and busy with work so my home practice is progressing slow... But when you described the sound of your current combo as "meh" I think you definitely "need" something that you like better. It could be a Rumble 40 or it could be a Rumble Studio 40. The latter comes with amp modelling and to an extent allows you to get an impression of what several different amplifiers might sound like. I have one now and am happier with it than I was with the regular 40 but the older model would have been fine, too.

Your ideal amp might end up to be something else in a few more months or years but the investment in case of either Rumble 40 is minor and does not need much justification in my opinion since you do not have a tight budget.

 

[dirkhh]

I think you nailed it here. I‘m 53, I work, err, a lot. Playing the bass is a hobby that I want to enjoy.
Having fun, enjoying the idea of picking it up - that‘s what it‘s all about.

 

[el jeffe bass]

Buy whatever it is that helps you enjoy your new hobby. That new bass or amp might actually motivate you to practice more, more practice equals a more capable dirkhh and a more capable dirkhh is then motivated to practice even more. To me the purpose of this whole business of being a musician is enjoying the ride. I have been making music for nearly 54 years, playing almost every day. I still have questions, still am learning and still get really excited about new gear. Buy whatever it is that you want and can afford. You will learn what YOU need as you go. Enjoy the ride.

 

[Polish Thunder]

I think you nailed it here. I‘m 53, I work, err, a lot. Playing the bass is a hobby that I want to enjoy.
Having fun, enjoying the idea of picking it up - that‘s what it‘s all about.

I started playing bass a little over two years ago (at 55 years old). I never played bass before but wanted to try it out. My bass-playing friend recommended a Squier VM 70s Jazz bass (lefty) and a Rumble 25 Combo amp. It was a great starter set that did not break the bank. Fast forward about 6 months of playing and I picked up a Fender Player Series P Bass, a Rumble 500 Head, and a Rumble 1x15 Cab. It was an upgrade and made a huge difference in my playing. Since then I added a Fender Player Series Jazz bass, too. I am glad I went the route I did. I would hate to fork out thousands of dollars on high end equipment upfront without knowing if I would like it and then get stuck with equipment that you would have to sell.

I still use the Rumble 25 mostly during my weekday practices, with or without headphones. But the Rumble 500 Head and Cab comes out on the weekends where I can really dial in the tone I want.

What you have is fine. If you really like playing the bass, look to upgrade as needed in the future. New equipment motivates me but so does practicing and getting better.

 

[Doctor Morbius]

Picked up my $125 used Rumble 40 earlier today. Mint condition. Good price.

I'm definitely going to open it up and stuff some polyfill in the cabinet as it has a certain hollow, boxy sound to it. It does not sound boomy or bass heavy like the Rumble 100 I tried a few months back, which is a good thing.

As of right now I'd have to say I like the sound of my 212 Peavey Classic 50 guitar amp better than the Rumble 40 as is. I'll put some polyfill in it and give it another go. I'm sure it will be OK.

Well, well, well ... this is not going to sit well with the Rumble fans, but I don't care for my Rumble 40 at all. It has a certain midrange coloration that drones out its good qualities, IMO. I still have a Rumble 500C and like that amp very much, but it is so much overkill for a bedroom practice amp, which is why I thought the 40 would be about perfect.

I've placed pollyfill inside the cabinet, which didn't help at all. I've moved it to a few different locations of which one is definitely best among them. And I've tried EQ-ing the midrange coloration out of the sound, but it's still there and it tortures me.

At this point I think I have two options: #1 - replace the budget 10" driver with something more substantial, and #2 - sell it and move on. I could try removing one of the Legend drivers from the Rumble 500 and see if that makes a difference. I'm pretty certain it would, however, the 500's Legend driver may not be optimized for the Rumble 40 cabinet, so that's a gamble. But it's a gamble that would cost anything but time. Then, of course, if that solved the problem, I would have to find a replacement for the Rumble 500C cabinet. It's always something isn't it?

I didn't buy this amp new, so I don't have to return it within a 30 to 45 day period or anything like that. And I bought it for a decent price, so I should break, give or take, when I do sell it.

 

[G-Dog]

Well, well, well ... I don't care for my Rumble 40 at all. It has a certain midrange coloration that drones out its good qualities, IMO. ... ... I've placed pollyfill inside the cabinet, which didn't help at all. I've moved it to a few different locations of which one is definitely best among them. And I've tried EQ-ing the midrange coloration out of the sound, but it's still there and it tortures me. ... ... .

And I guess you’ve tried the voicing buttons, too? Seems the Contour ought to cut out the mids for you.
.

 

[Doctor Morbius]

And I guess you’ve tried the voicing buttons, too? Seems the Contour ought to cut out the mids for you..

I have. In addition to the contour, I have the lo-mid and hi-mid dialed back a bit as well.

I'm going to try it in a larger room (500 sq. ft.) and see how it fares in there before making any decisions. And I still may try substituting one of the drivers from the Rumble 500C, but that will be the last option, should I go that route.

 

[Boomer777]

I think you nailed it here. I‘m 53, I work, err, a lot. Playing the bass is a hobby that I want to enjoy.
Having fun, enjoying the idea of picking it up - that‘s what it‘s all about.

My counsel would be pass "go" and save for the Rumble 100 - As you start to hear the sweeter tones n the increased thump, its going to push you to want to get with others. Kinda like setting your goals high...it does not take long before you will be able to get with a drummer...n...quite frankly that is where you will start to really progress cause you will elevate your game to keep pace n groove with the drummer....Now your kinda accountable to others n that creates a new level you had no idea about prior.....I am currently in a gigging band with a 60 year old drummer that started 5 years ago.....Is he Billy Cobham or Steve Gadd, nope! But, he practices to hold himself accountable to the more seasoned musikants........& for the stuff we are playing is very adequate.

 

[G-Dog]

Well, well, well ... ... I don't care for my Rumble 40 at all. It has a certain midrange coloration that drones out its good qualities, IMO. I still have a Rumble 500C and like that amp very much, but it is so much overkill for a bedroom practice amp, which is why I thought the 40 would be about perfect.
... ... . I could try removing one of the Legend drivers from the Rumble 500 and see if that makes a difference. I'm pretty certain it would, however, the 500's Legend driver may not be optimized for the Rumble 40 cabinet, so that's a gamble. But it's a gamble that would cost anything but time. Then, of course, if that solved the problem, I would have to find a replacement for the Rumble 500C cabinet. ... ....

Did you replace the stock 16 ohm Eminence drivers in your R500c with 8 ohm Legends, or something, to maybe get the full 500 watts out the combo by itself??? Otherwise the 16 ohm driver from the R500c won't get the full 40 watts from the the R40c. Plus, you'll be wasting a couple hundred watts handling capacity on the 40, if you leave it there.

That experiment can only tell you if that other speaker is any closer to what you seek. You might want to discuss your goal with a speaker manufacturer, like Eminence, and ask what speaker they would recommend. And/or read some of the Speaker Replacement threads linked on the Rumble Club Wiki page.

HTH
.

 

[Bobb Nagel]

Does a Rumble 15 qualify for a partial membership?
I got a 15 as part of Squier PBJ super cheap bundle (gave the PBJ away for free soon thereafter because it was just... err... not fun to play). I bought this as a COVID19 hobby - to figure out if I'd enjoy playing the bass. Now I need to figure out where to go from here. Is the 15 good enough to use as practice amp? Or should I switch to something "better"?
I expect to never play in public, this really is just to have fun at home...

Polish Thunder mentioned practicing with or without headphones, and I think this is an important point. I use a very old Fender BXR 25 amp exclusively with headphones for practice (along with iPad YouTube vids). Although it’s a capable little amp with its 10” driver, using it with the headphones eliminates the concern regarding the driver breaking up handling the lower frequencies. I’m on 5-string, and it’s an absolute joy practicing every morning. Now if we could just get back to gigging up here in Illinois. As you can see from my pic, I feel some urgency here!

 

[Bassdoggydogg]

Does anybody know how a rumble 500 combo would sound with a Hartke 2x10 200 watt extension cabinet? I already have the rumble 500, but I don't want to shell out the big bucks for the fender 2x10 extension. I'm pretty sure I can get a sweet deal on the hartke though.

 

[G-Dog]

Does anybody know how a rumble 500 combo would sound with a Hartke 2x10 200 watt extension cabinet? I already have the rumble 500, but I don't want to shell out the big bucks for the fender 2x10 extension. I'm pretty sure I can get a sweet deal on the hartke though.

It'd probably sound OK at low volumes. But, if you crank it up, a 200 watt cab could suffer badly when you put anywhere near the full 250 watts into it! Just sayin' ...

You'd be safer with the Hartke Hydrive HD210 500 watt cab, but there goes your $aving$. Better overall to save up a little longer and get the matching Rumble 210 cab.
.

 

[Bassdoggydogg]

Thanks man, I had a feeling that was going to be the case. Of course the guys at sweetwater and samash told me not to worry, then promptly asked me if I wanted to make an order.

 

[insomehonkytonk]

There it is! @JohnnyPaycheck, you are now member #1289 in the Fender Rumble Club. Congratulations and welcome. Put that number in your signature to keep it handy. And check out the Rumble Club Wiki page for all kindsa Rumbling info.

Tell us about yourself, John, so we can get to know you. We already know you share our most frequent love to ... ...

Rumble On!
.​

For starters, Johnny Paycheck isn’t my name. Paycheck was an outlaw country music star that previously recorded stone country and honky tonk music. Prior to stardom he paid his dues playing bass guitar for Porter Waggoner, Faron Young, Ray Price, and George Jones. Which makes Paycheck my favorite bass player of all time.

My style is primarily country walking bass and polka. I play a CIJ Fender PB-57.

 

[jdaunt]

I’m in!
Traded in my SWR Goliath III today for a Rumble 500 (sold my old Eden WT800 head in the classifieds a couple months ago). First impression was it’s SO LIGHT compared to the 98lb Goliath! Sounds great so far too of course. Just playing straight in tonight to get a feel for it, then gonna get the pedalboard setup and start fiddling tomorrow-have a bunch of Source Audio pedals, so anytime I get near gear I have to tweak everything. Should be a fun weekend!

 

[G-Dog]

I’m in! Traded in my SWR Goliath III today for a Rumble 500 (sold my old Eden WT800 head in the classifieds a couple months ago). First impression was it’s SO LIGHT compared to the 98lb Goliath! Sounds great so far too of course. Just playing straight in tonight to get a feel for it, then gonna get the pedalboard setup and start fiddling tomorrow-have a bunch of Source Audio pedals, so anytime I get near gear I have to tweak everything. Should be a fun weekend!

Outstanding, daunty! @jdaunt, you are now member #1292 in the Fender Rumble Club. Congratulations and welcome. Put that number in your TB Signature to be instantly recognized as a bassist of distinction. Make yourself at home here and at the Rumble Club Wiki page of all kindsa Rumbling info.

Tell us of your bass experience in general and your Rumble journey in particular. We're all agog at these light, powerful amps that help us to ... ...

Rumble On!
.​

 

[EatS1stBassist]

Does anybody know how a rumble 500 combo would sound with a Hartke 2x10 200 watt extension cabinet? I already have the rumble 500, but I don't want to shell out the big bucks for the fender 2x10 extension. I'm pretty sure I can get a sweet deal on the hartke though.

Rumble 210!